The Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS) has announced a number of changes within its Board of Directors, which took formal effect on New Year’s Day.
Michael Messent, Chairman since May 2009, has retired from the Board.
The newly-appointed Chairman is Andrew Fraser, whose career has largely been in public service, including when a member of the transition team which closed down the Gaming Board of Great Britain and set up the Gambling Commission, between 2004 and 2006.
Fraser had previously acted as a consultant for IBAS under its founding Chief Executive Chris O’Keeffe and as a member of its Adjudication Panel between 2008 and 2014. He has been an IBAS director since 2014.
In addition to its new Chairman, IBAS has made two further appointments to its Board, Michelle Parkes and Elaine Smethurst.
Michelle Parkes is a senior manager in tax compliance for HMRC. She was previously an investigator at the Adjudicators Office and Parliamentary Ombudsman, where she examined complaints and mediated settlements about maladministration in the actions of government departments.
Elaine Smethurst is familiar to many within the gambling world as the former Managing Director of Gordon Moody Association, the UK charity best known for providing intensive residential treatment for problem gamblers.
She has acted as a consultant to a number of organisations, advising on governance, organisational development and providing input to improve the effectiveness of responsible gambling tools.
Andrew Fraser commented:
“I am delighted to be taking over the chair of IBAS at an exciting time for the organisation. My aim is to ensure we meet the changing needs of our customers and regulator, the Gambling Commission and provide an efficient and professional service to the ever-increasing number of our users.”